Armed police officers stormed a flat after being tipped off that a man could be wielding a shotgun.
Officers smashed down the door of a flat in Westbourne Grove, Southend, at around 2am after blocking the street with patrol cars.
Police received information that a domestic incident was taking place at the ground floor flat and responded by sending at least eight car-loads of officers.
A neighbour said he was woken up because the street outside "was too quiet".
The man, who did not want to be named, said: "I woke up at 2am.
"Normally the street has cars going down it all the time - it was silent outside.
"I looked out of the window and saw lots of police.
"Some were plain-clothed.
"I heard some whispering and then heard 'go, go, go' and they smashed the door down." The neighbour added: "The armed police were only there for about ten minutes. After securing the place they disappeared.
"I saw police take someone away but I couldn't see who it was. The police left at about 3.30am."
Insp Martin Parkin, from Southend Police, said a man was arrested at the scene adding that police had to respond in the manner they did due to information they received.
No weapon was found and the man co-operated fully, he added.
Published Thursday, May 1, 2003
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